Israeli archeologists discover location of ancient Greek fortress in Jerusalem

The Israeli Antiquities Authority announced on Tuesday that archeologists apparently found the remains of an old Greek fortress, describing the discovery as "a solution to one of the great archaeological riddles in the history of Jerusalem."

Researchers uncovered in recent months the remains of a citadel in Jerusalem's City of David, which they believe are the remnants of Acra, a stronghold of the Greeks who controlled the area between the third and second centuries BC.

The exact location of the fortress, from where Greek ruler Antiochus Epiphanes ruled Jerusalem and the Jewish temples, has been a mystery for researchers in the past 100 years. It had been mentioned in Jewish biblical sources and by historians like Flavius Josephus.

The remains discovered recently include a section of a massive wall, the base of the tower, which is four meters wide and 20 meters long, and a glacis, a defensive sloping embankment made of stone, soil and plaster in order to defend the fortress from attackers, according to the Antiquities Authority.

Archeologists at the site, who have been conducting excavations in the area in the past decade, also discovered lead slingshots, bronze arrowheads and ballista stones, carrying stamps symbolizing the reign of Antiochus Epiphanes, who ruled the area between 215 and 164 BC.

"This sensational discovery allows us for the first time to reconstruct the layout of the settlement in the Old City," archeologists Doron Ben-Ami, Yana Tchekhanovets and Salome Cohen, directors of the excavation, said in a joint statement sent by the Israeli Antiquity Authority.

"The new archeological finds indicate the establishment of a well-fortified stronghold that was constructed on the high bedrock cliff overlooking the steep slopes of the City of David Hill. This stronghold controlled all means to approach the (Jewish) Temple atop Temple Mount, and cut the Temple off from the southern parts of the city," they added.

Temple Mount, the site where the Jewish temples laid, is also known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary, from where they believe the prophet Muhammad ascended to heaven.

Strife over the holy site sparked the wave of violence in recent weeks, which spread throughout Israel and the Palestinian territories, claiming the lives of 11 Israelis and more than 70 Palestinians.

The city of David, a site of ancient Jerusalem, is located next to the southeastern corner of the walls of the Old City of Jerusalem, which reaches Palestinian neighborhoods in east Jerusalem.

Excavations at the site are conducted by the Elad organization, which aims to "strengthen the Jewish connection to Israel," and are politically controversial, as critics accused the foundation of trying to Judaicize the city. Endit